Then, There, and When
by Fanatic24
Summary: MOVED TO A-MARLENE-S. READ LATEST CHAPTER!
1. Chap-1

**I moved the story to a new account, A-Marlene-S. I will delete the story soon.**

Then, There, and When?

-.-

D/C: We own nothing. If only we do…

-.-

 _ **Lee Totema**_ and I have been coming up of a Dragon Age Fic, this is the result of it!

Brainstorming at its best!

She wrote the intro of the chapter and it is amazing in my opinion!

-.-

 _Solas stared out into the wasteland that was now Thedas. Destroying the barrier to the fade had took time, time that took to war. With the knowledge somehow leaked to the world, it descended into chaos. War was a constant in all regions, the dwarves grew into isolationist, shutting their doors for good. Orlais and Ferelden kept on bombarding their soldiers against each other with less and less in each regiment._

 _And Solas could only look to himself for his failure. He had thought to raise the People back to their rightful place and reintroduce magic into the world. Where did it all go wrong? It didn't destroy the world, at least not entirely. Instead, there were more survivors than he expected. The Tevinter Imperium had grown stronger with their rush of magic, beating back the Qunari was their first line of order. The entire world was next. Demons appeared everywhere and Solas couldn't find his peaceful spirit friends anymore._

 _There was too much anger, hatred, fear. It bled into the ground as there was no more line between the world and dreams. His People that he worked so hard for left him with his grief and his broken spirit._

 _"What have I done?" Solas asked himself. "What purpose was for all of this? The People have left me and are getting slaughtered. Tevinter grows ever stronger, drunk on their proficiency with magic. Blood is constantly being shed from fear of the unknown, the fear I cause." Solas looked at his trembling hands. He only had the power to strip the barrier. The constant battles from the old Inquisition left him weakened. The friends that he once made, the respect that he had for them, and their blood on his hands. The green lightning grew, its roar heard from the high mountain that he had found. All he could do was watch as the landscape squirm with battle cries to fight against the demons. The sheer power from his attempt to restore the world, turned the spirits into demons that he could not save._

 _He looked at the sky above him, dark from constant fires, eruptions. The Black City that held his brethren was getting weaker and Solas knew that he wouldn't have the strength to stop them from exerting their anger. They were shut away for thousands of years, thinking of only one thing: His death._

 _And he found it nearly welcoming. Solas grunted as he used his staff to push himself up, wondering if there was anything else he can do. He wasn't much for faith as he had no God to pray to but he felt a sudden desperation growing inside of him._

 _"If the Maker...if you truly do exist, please... Please, have mercy on the ones who have forsaken me and, perhaps, a way to undo my failure."_

-.-

For a place that looked abandoned, snow covered and partially flooded, it was well preserved. Surprisingly considering that there are demons running around the area. Current location, what appears to be an abandoned village in western Ferelden. How do they know it's officially abandoned? There are partially frozen bodies scattered throughout the village. The bodies appeared as if they were repeatedly frozen and thawed for who knows how long, and were all still rotting away when they are unfrozen. The sight would have been unnerving, however with how the world appears to be coming to an end and constant war made many impervious to the sight. That doesn't even include the demons that now permanently roam the world. It is commonly agreed that is better to fight off a demon than

For one young Qunari, the sight of it all was nothing out of the norm. Being born in a world that had seen anything but war, death and chaos, after being alive with all of that surrounded her for seventeen something years, not a lot of could faze her theses days. Dressed in raggedy clothing that could barely pass off as armor. Unkempt and dirty silver hair tied in a messy pony tail, two horns which grew upwards and curled downward and sickly pale metallic purplish skin tone. Despite looking sickly and frail, she stands six feet tall and is more than capable of wielding heavy iron shield and sword both situated on her back. The only thing that seemed to be in a pristine condition is the leather belt that is holding the shield and sword in place.

Giggles escaped the Qunari as she ventured deeper into the village and at the sight of the all the possible items that could be used for herself and companions. She had saw a half-buried forge earlier and many of the items seen could be reused. Now if she could figure out how long the group will stay here.

"Careful, Hissera."

The Qunari, Hissera, turned around to see an older human male staring at her warningly. The human male appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties, a gritty appearance and covered with scars. Short peppered hair that he keeps repeatedly trying to slick back to no avail and has a scraggly beard and mustache. He is dressed similar to Hissera, raggedy clothing but unlike her, he is wearing a heavily patched hooded cloak. Underneath the cloak, the human has a muscular build and looks more than capable of using his spear to kick ass. "Come on, Griffin… the twins already checked the area and cleared it for enemies."

"Even so. One can never be too careful." Griffin stated before he turned around and headed of towards the opposite side of the village.

Hissera grinned to herself before she headed towards the only building that in the village that remains standing and partially untouched by time. A tall stone building that looked like it was built to withhold the test of time. The closer she got to the building, anticipation only grew even more within her. Letting out a shaky breath, Hissera pushed the heavy doors and her brows furrowed at feeling that the doors were locked. The debate now is to use her sword to break the lock or doors. Breaking the lock will result with the door unusable, and that would be an issue. Breaking down the entire door is also a no go for the same reason.

"Need help?"

"We'll have this open in no time."

Hissera nose scrunched up, as two nearly identical elves appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, each wrapping an around her neck. The Twins, Revas and Samahl, the group's professional thieves and prankster. The only two people in the entire world that could get a complete rise out of her. The twins are in their mid-twenties, long silver tied in a low ponytail, and have semi-fair complexions. Hissera towers them by five inches and they have slender bodies typical of being elven. They wore identical worn clothing, even right down to the same tears and holes. Some of them looked intentional in order to keep up the appearance of being identical. There were subtle between the two, Revas is taller than his younger brother by half an inch and his bangs are longer. Samahl, unlike his brother, hide his weapons and tools out of sight and how he manages to hide them is still a mystery for many. The main difference both males each have an identical metal handguard, Revas on his left arm and Samahl on his right arm.

The reason for the distrust was that the twins tend to target Hissera more so than the others in their pranks. In her own defense, she is gullible and easily lead on. It's all fun and games until she winds up stranded in the middle of a heavily demon infested forest. "I swear if there are demons on the other side…"

"Then have Kasan hand us over to Darla and Loco?" Revas asked with an eyebrow raised, he pulled away from Hissera and headed towards the locked door. He took out his lock picking kit from his belt and proceeded to pick at the lock.

"We learned our lesson from the last time we tricked you." Samahl deadpanned, he kept his arm around Hissera as they watch his brother work on the lock. "Why are you alone? Griffin doesn't like it when you wonder off on your own."

"Only when someone hadn't already surveyed the area beforehand…"

"And why is that?" Revas asked as he continued to pick on the lock.

"…" Hissera flushed violet and sheepishly looked away from the twins. "I tend to attract trouble…"

"And demons. Don't forget demons, how? We still don't know."

-.-

Solas lifted his head as he felt a sudden shift coming from one the spells he had placed in a certain location. He turned his attention towards the giant window of his current sanctuary. Attention swept away from his previous worry gone and replaced with wistfulness. 'Visitors at Haven…'

As much Solas wants to ignore the presence of the trespassers roaming around his old stomping grounds. Then again, he needs to ensure they were not going to cause any sort of trouble. Haven is just a stone throws away from where he is and make sure they do not disturb the peace Haven once brought to many.

-.-

Hissera face scrunched up as she scanned through a room that appeared to be used to keep records or something of that matter, in the stone building. There were books and papers scattered around. A dusty wooden desk sat at the back room along with a chair flip backwards. The only source of light is the torch the twins lit for her. Hopefully there is something the group could use. Maybe she'll find a trinket or something in the mess.

Laughter filled the hall and crashes quickly followed. Hissera rolled her eyes at the ruckus but ignored it in favor of looking through the room. The more she looked through the room, the more she cursed herself for not being able to understand anything she found. The Qunari blamed in inability to not being able to understand anything she was trying to read. A lot of the papers were yellowed and the ink that was once on them are long gone or to faded to read.

Hissera looked around the room and found a spot to place the torch to keep it out of her way as she continued on with her search. Papers with faded words continued to pile up high, books in another, and whatever else stacked on top of the desk. By the looks of it, this was a complete dud. Even with her minimum knowledge of reading, there was nothing from what she could read that hardly caught her interest.

That was until Hissera found a thick book with a strange symbol on the front of it. The book had a broken lock that used to ensure no one could see its secrets. No matter how much she wants to place the book in one of the three piles but Hissera cannot. It wasn't what was written in the book but that symbol keeps calling out to her.

Hissera swore she saw the symbol before, just did not know when or where. Maybe Griffin will know about the symbol and maybe Loco will read it to her.

"Hey, isn't that the Inquisition symbol?"

To be continued…

It's a slow start


	2. Chapter 2

Then, There, and When?

-.-

D/C: We own nothing. If only we do…

-.-

This is a collaboration with **_Lee Totema_**. She wrote a good chunk of this story and I couldn't be prouder of her work. GO CHECK HER OUT!

-.-

Solas meandered around Skyhold. It was different than before. The halls cry of silence, the doors shut with loud echoes, his own feet carry small pats against the stone floor, the only thing standing against complete silence. He made his way to his empty throne. There was a basin there filled with large communication crystals. He made this to keep an eye on the state of affairs after the fade was broken down.

His body trembled as he coughed until his throat hurt. He wheezed until he reached the table next to the throne to retrieve a worn teacup. He warmed the water inside and made himself tea. He hated tea for its caffeinated properties, never liking to stay awake for too long. He always preferred the dreams to the waking life.

Now he depends on it for any sort of sign to undo mistakes.

He put honey in his cracked cup and downed the tea quickly, the warmth and the sweetness of the honey soothing his throat. Solas exhaled, clearing his throat. He went to his fur covered throne and sat down, sipping at the tea in a relaxed pace now that he felt better. Solas waved his hand and images began reflecting from the crystals.

The battlefields in between Ferelden and Orlais are stacked with bodies, some already fully decomposed, their bones bleached white. Antiva has put all their resources in their navy, their piracy going from city to city to ransack for supplies. The Free Marches have finally banded together, the King staying in Starkhaven while Kirkwall has an army of mages at the forefront to protect them. Nevarra kept to their tombs until they were overrun by demons, the only country to completely get destroyed.

The Tevinter Imperium has started to expand their reach, covering parts of the Anderfels, Antiva, and completely took Rivain. If nothing was to be done, then the Tevinter Imperium would rise again. The Qunari lands have been amassing a huge army and Solas wondered when they would release it. He was surprised that the Qunari didn't kill themselves after the fade was brought back as they abhor the fade and magic. Qunari were known for their rigidity not their flexibility but they were nothing but resourceful.

Solas rubbed his face in exhaustion. The years since the bringing down the barrier between the two worlds have run him ragged. He had deep circles underneath his eyes, his gaunt face told others that he didn't nearly eat enough, and his robes hung off his frail frame. A green lightning bolt struck right behind the castle walls, illuminating the empty hall.

Solas' eyes glossed over, seeing the memories dance before him. A hall filled with important visitors, Varric at the fireplace going through his paperwork. The companions of the Inquisitor coming and going, Josephine coming out to introduce the next prisoner to be judged, the days that seemed so much simpler.

"And what did I trade it for? A world gone wrong, filled with madness. I wonder if my brethren would laugh at the irony." Solas chuckled heartlessly. He went to check where all of this started, Haven. He would often look at the small dilapidated village to reminiscence about old times. Times when he had friends, before he soiled his hands with their blood.

What he found made his eyes grow wide. There was life in the village. Solas cut off the feed from the other regions of the world and enlarged the one at Haven. There seemed to be a large group of people in the village. They were bustling around, handing out food, making sure the fire was stacked. They even had a mage that knew healing, going to those that needed it. A gruff man, a small female dwarf, and what seemed to be two identical elves patrolled around. There was only one that seemed to carry herself differently. A female Qunari. She sat down and had a large tome in her lap.

Solas' breath hitched as he recognized the book she carried. The Inquisition's symbol on top of the cover made his heart ache. Another mage, one that he couldn't discern the gender of, came to the Qunari.

"You know you can't read that, so why bother?" They said.

"I can distinguish a few words here and there…It also brings me comfort." She said. Solas read their lips and held his chin in his hand.

"Interesting…perhaps…is this the sign I asked for?" Solas mumbled to himself. He leaned back on his throne, feeling the pulses from high in the sky. The Black City won't keep for much longer. "For now, I will watch…and should they prove themselves…"

Solas would give anything for a different future and if he had to employ others to do it, then so be it.

-.-

Hissera lips pursed as she tried to understand what she was reading. Only a few words popped out to her, but not enough to make any sense. It didn't help how a lot of the words looked blurred out to the point it is impossible to read. Perhaps Loco was right, what was the point of reading? She doesn't even know how to properly read and there weren't so few people that know how to. Those few are busy with their own work and she doesn't want to become a bother to them.

With a sigh, Hissera snapped the book shut and decided to look around the area, to see how the now growing village. More and more people are coming in when it became known this is a place of respite. She waved at the people she walked by, many were hesitant but that was understandable. There isn't enough trust left in this world. She continued to make her way to the main gate of the area to find Darla and Loco conversing on who knows what.

Darla is a warrior dwarf that has no fears and probably one of the bravest, or craziest, dwarf all around. She has bright red hair tired messily on top of her head, freckles scattered around her face, (Or it could possibly be blood spatter, no one wants to ask), daring gray eyes and a muscular physique. She has one rusted iron armor, and a large war hammer strapped to her back that is caked with dry blood.

Standing next to Darla is a human that goes by the name Loco. They appear to be middle age, flowing shoulder length hair that is tied up in a pony-tail, bangs and that is speckled with gray hair. Their face showed a youthfulness to it as they talked about something possibility insane. They are wearing, in pristine condition, orsino robes that looked like it was never showed a single sign of age or travel. It is noted, Loco appearance is number one, besides their experiments.

"I keep telling you, we could build an army. We can fight this!"

"Fight? All we can do is survive at this point, let's focus on building…and possibly experiments."

"I still say we talk to Griffin to create an army."

"Sh! Don' allow yourself to be overheard." Loco pointed over their shoulder to show Hissera that is walking towards their direction.

Darla grinned at the sight of the Qunari and waved excitedly a her. "Hey, girly! How's it going?"

Hissera for her own part, looked puzzled at the Human and Dwarf. Always stopping whatever they were saying whenever she comes around. Whenever questioned, they just go about something else or argue on all possible uses of a troll's heart. "I found this book and I have no clue what it says. Help?"

"Well, reading is not my thing." Darla shrugged.

"Hm… I don't know… I have been wanting to figure out on this bomb of deadly bees." Loco giggled.

"I'll tell Griffin about the experiment you done on him without his knowledge."

"…We'll start lessons tomorrow."

"Lessons for what?"

Hissera, Darla and Loco turned to see Kasan, an elf that looked to be in her late thirties to possible very early forties. She is wearing a worn but cared for fur trimmed hooded robes, strap around is a worn-out staff that was now for decorative reasons than anything else. Her entire appearance screamed respect but still held a motherly aura that prevented anyone wanting to disappoint her. Or get on her bad side…

"Loco promised me he'd start teaching me to read." Hissera motioned for the book in her hands.

Kasan was about to look at the book with a shout caught her attention. Before she walked off, she gave Loco a stern look. "I expect you to not teach her anything inappropriate…"

"Fine, fine… talk all my fun away…"

-.-

Solas did not know what he was doing anymore at this point. He had lost all sense of time since he lost his sanity for what seemed so long ago. Never able to find meaning for his life as he lost it when his plans went awry. The moment he found out a group had managed to rebuild Haven, everything changed for him. The group that found the once icy tome decided to rebuild it, make it their own. It did not take long for word to spread how a new Haven popped up and everyone started to flock there for safety. It expanded and expanded, to the point there was enough people to fully rebuild the entire area.

The thought of creating an army was there, but they were not looking for a fight. They were looking for peace in this war-torn world. It took some magic to change their minds…

The way they stood their ground against all invaders, demons, elf and Qunari alike had Solas humming in delight. The eight show remarkable skill and trust between them all. It deeply reminded him of… it reminded him of the past.

Speaking of the past…

"This should work…"

To be continued…

R/R.


	3. Moving

I am moving to a new account. I have two accounts here on this site. I won't go into too much detail why I have two accounts. I am going to transfer all of my stories to a new account under the penname A-Marlene-S.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I grew tired of how things were going for me. It also did not help how I sliced up a finger by accident and that prevented me from writing for a while. This resulted in some soul searching... Thus, deciding to move everything I have into one account.

I'll start to transfer my stories once I get everything done and delete the ones on here.

Until next time...

I have a link to the new account on my profile.


	4. MOVED

I MOVED!

I moved all my stories to A-Marlene-S. There is a link there. Please check it out. I have updated the stories there.


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